Thank you so much for your reviews! They make me smile.

As I said last chapter, I really hope this lives up to everyone's expectations. Action scenes are not my forté.

I don't own Naruto.

Read closely.

OOOOO

"…Let's go."

Simultaneously, they jumped tree to tree, their pace consciously quick. There feet made no sounds, the only noise coming from the swish of their cloaks. Thoughts ran through her mind at lightening speed—all revolving around Sasuke: Team 7…Naruto, what this meant.

If he died, she would lose a best friend. A precious person. One of the few people she failed to save. She couldn't even bring herself to think of how it would affect Naruto. He would be crushed.

This would change everything.

Stealing a glance to her left, she wondered what, if anything, Itachi was thinking. She knew that there was a part of him that wanted Sasuke to kill him. But was there another part of him that was sad? Probably not, being that he basically destroyed Sasuke's life. Why did he come? Why did he care? Would he be affected by his brother's death?

Even if he was, he wouldn't show it.

They stopped when the dense forest ended. Scanning the horizon quickly, Sakura realized that Itachi was right—of course he was—there were about thirty Jounin level shinobi patrolling the exterior. Although Sakura didn't say it out loud, she was impressed that he could put thirty people in genjustu at once.

This is why I want to learn from him…

Now's not the time, she scolded herself. Sasuke's dying and you're thinking about getting stronger? Pushing the thought out of her mind before she could feel any more guilt, she concentrated on finding Sasuke's chakra…There seemed to be barriers around the base, so she'd have to be inside in order to find Sasuke's chakra.

"Okay. Tell me when it's clear." Sakura's voice shook and she knew Itachi heard it. Please Sasuke, pull through this one…Please.

He hesitated momentarily, but Sakura knew better than to ask why. His eyes were still forward, not looking at her, as she felt his thumb run quickly over her knuckles—just once. She held in a gasp and watched as he stood up and walked clear out into the field, noticed by every guard at once. Smart thinking, get everyone's attention at once. Immediately, Sakura saw their eyes glaze slightly, and one by one, they fell to the ground, asleep. He turned to her and lifted his arm to point somewhere off to her right, signaling where the entrance was. She didn't ask him what he was going to do; she figured he would follow in after her. Nodding, she wiped a stray tear that had made its way down her face, and took off running.

Hold on, Sasuke. I'm going to save you this time.

-

Itachi watched her go, ignoring the small pang of jealousy he felt as she rushed to risk her life for his younger brother.

He didn't have time to dwell on the feeling—the uncertainty he felt —as he heard a kunai whizzing through the air, speeding in the direction of his head.

XXXXX

Forcing the air into her lungs made her feel as though her throat was on fire. Completely ignoring the fact that her heart was probably beating too fast to be healthy, she pushed herself through the door. Her legs were screaming in protest, but it was nothing compared to the pain in her heart.

It's too late.

"No!" She said out loud, unconsciously on her part. She was going to save him.

Ignoring the chills of recognition that flitted through her body, she tried not to pay attention to the dirty, dank rooms around her—the rooms she had searched the last time she looked for him. Coming to a sliding halt at the intersection of three hallways, Sakura closed her eyes.

—"I fight better when I can't see," She responded, as though answering his thoughts. "It helps me hone my chakra sensing skills. It is much easier to follow someone's energy than see them."—

Concentrating, she could feel him on the other side of the lair. Her head cocked slightly when she realized that he was…fighting. Who on earth was he fighting? Was it just training?

But paying attention more closely, she realized that she also felt that snake's chakra. Realization dawned upon her as she felt her stomach drop.

Orochimaru and Sasuke are fighting each other!

Just before she took another step, another familiar chakra pattern made itself known. His chakra could not be mistaken—heavy was the only way she could explain it. And he was angry. Whatever was happening, the person he was fighting was sure to be sorry.

And as quickly as it came, Itachi's chakra presence was gone—completely.

Whipping around to face the direction she just came, her eyes widened as she whispered urgently,

"Itachi!"

XXXXX

Irritating would have been the perfect word to describe his current state. Yes, his eyes were feeling better, but no, they still weren't one hundred percent. When he felt the kunai coming, Itachi had dodged, but apparently not completely. There was a small cut on his left cheek, and he felt a trickle of blood fall down his face. This bastard was going to pay severely for scarring him. Letting his eyes travel quickly from his enemy, his gaze darted to the entranceway Sakura had entered not five minutes previous.

The one second his eyes left his enemy was one too many, he noted as he glanced down to the kunai sticking out of his chest.

He fell backward.

XXXXX

"Itachi!" She gasped. Her body was frozen, her gaze over her shoulder, trying desperately to find the chakra signature of her partner. Taking a breath, she looked forward once more, her mind fixated on Sasuke's flaring chakra.

Sasuke!

Orochimaru was winning.

Damn it.

Her gaze flittered back once more over her shoulder, she had to trust in the fact that Itachi was nearly indestructible.

I'm sorry Itachi, she thought as she let her feet fly over the uneven stone towards the battle on the other side of the base.

You'd better not die. I'm not losing two…

XXXXX

His body poofed into a log before it hit the ground. Masking his chakra completely from a nearby branch, Itachi waited for more Sound-nin to arrive. He would have to gamble this time—something he did not like doing. But he needed to draw them outside first, attack second. There was a chance that one would warn Orochimaru of their presence, but if he didn't know already, then Orochimaru wasn't a very good shinobi.

And if he wasn't a good shinobi, he deserved to die in Itachi's opinion.

Itachi paused. Orochimaru needs to die whether he is a valuable shinobi or not.

He stood from his atop his branch, his hands clenched into fists. He saw about twenty more Sound-nin exit from the base, each wearing a look a shock, some with panic mixed in.

The nin currently unconscious would be so for another hour. But right now, there were twenty more nin standing in his way.

Snap.

It was the sound of Itachi unsnapping one of the buttons on the cloak.

Snap.

He hand slipped to undo another.

Snap.

He disappeared from the branch, his cloak slowly falling to the forest floor below.

He reappeared in the front of an unfortunate Sound-nin who was on their way inside to call reinforcements.

"ARGH!—"

XXXXX

She was getting closer, closer still. She was almost there, and could almost cry in relief when she realized that Sasuke was still alive. The sweat poured down her face, and her muscles were cramping from hours of running. But she couldn't give up now.

Certainly not when she had gotten this far.

"Sakura-san."

XXXXX

He had slit the throat of the man before he could make anymore noise. Looking over his shoulder, he sighed as realized there wasn't any other way to get this over quickly. And with thirty unconscious shinobi, and twenty more approaching him, they were all inside of his range.

Closing his right eye and making the necessary hand signals, he muttered,

"Ameratsu."

He would pay for this later.

XXXXX

She stopped and turned to see the mocking eyes of Kabuto.

"I wouldn't go that way if I were you."

"Good thing you're not me, then." He's trying to slow me down. I have to finish this quickly.

Kabuto chuckled quietly and pushed his glasses farther up his nose.

"There is no need to worry, Sakura-san. Orochimaru-sama won't kill Sasuke-kun."

"Spare me the bullshit, Kabuto." She spat. "Let's get this over with quickly."

He seemed to regard her for a moment, his eyes traveling down her figure, his lips curling into a smirk.

Pushing his glasses up once more, he said, "Let's."

XXXXX

It would have been foolish to deny that the screams of his victims did not please him like it used to. But Itachi was very pleased with the way his flames had engulfed everyone in a fifty-meter radius. His talents were impressive to him, even after performing the jutsu many times before…

Stepping through the flames, Itachi had to make a decision: he could either enter to the shinobi quarters and kill as many as possible, or he could go and aid Sakura with whatever trouble she had managed to find. He could feel Sasuke's chakra—he seemed to be fighting, but he was still alive.

But Sakura's chakra pattern was different. She seemed to be stopped for some reason, and the gathered chakra in her hands told him that she too was getting ready to engage in a battle.

Mentally sighing, Itachi briefly wondered who could possible be giving her trouble. Why didn't she just kill them and be done with it?

But that's when Itachi detected just how erratic her chakra was: she was nervous, and certainly not confident in this battle. But that could have been because she was eager to get to Sasuke.

Itachi's eyes widened slightly when he sensed the killing intent coming from her opponent. It was incredibly strong.

But it was also then that Itachi realized just how terrified she was.

Why?

His steps confident but quick, Itachi entered the building, curious as to what he would see.

XXXXX

I'm not going to get there in time.

"Why are you doing this?" If this were any other time, she wouldn't have liked how desperate she sounded, but in this moment, she really didn't care.

"Doing what?" He asked, mockery laced in his voice. He dropped into a defensive position, and the anger Sakura felt magnified significantly.

If he wasn't going to answer her, then she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of speech either. Her mind was racing, trying to think of all the things she could do to get this battle over with. She couldn't punch the ground, or the entire place would collapse. While the idea seemed tempting (hopefully she could also kill Orochimaru), she couldn't know whether Sasuke would get lost under the wreckage.

Sigh.

While she didn't think Kabuto was necessarily skilled in ninjustu, she wasn't naïve to think that he wasn't a skilled shinobi. Fighting inside would limit the things she could do, therefore, she wasn't the most skilled shinobi either. It would be a battle between their medical skills.

"Come, Sakura-san, let's see who is the better medic-nin. As you know, I once defeated your ex-sensei Tsunade, but from what I hear, you are better than she. Hopefully you will prove a better opponent." Activating his chakra scalpels, Sakura was thankful that the lack of light allowed her to see their length. The seemed to be about eight inches long, long enough to sever her spinal cord if she got to close. Shit, this is going to take a while. Looking over in the direction of Sasuke's battle, she silently urged him on. Hold him off for a little longer, Sasuke.

XXXXX

"Sasuke-kun, what are doing? Do you no longer desire power to kill your brother?"

Sasuke stood there, his face neutral, but inwardly a bit put off by the fact that he had felt Sakura's chakra just a second ago. How did she know to get him? Did the seal he gave her burn? Eyes narrowing, he wondered if she had brought Itachi with her.

I told you once, Sakura, you won't stop me from killing him. He will die.

"I desire power," he said simply, "but from someone who can actually give it to me. You have lost your purpose."

Orochimaru laughed as Sasuke watched him. Orochimaru had only ever used this power as a last resort, but his student was proving to be a difficult opponent. Making the necessary hand seals, he transformed into a giant white snake—his true form.

Sasuke smirked. "So…this is your true form?" Instead of being impressed like Orochimaru hoped he would be, Sasuke was disgusted. Mentally calculating, Sasuke knew that he would not have chakra left to fight his brother after this battle. Activating his Chidori into the blade of his sword, he prepared to kill the one who had taken six years of his life. In retrospect, Sasuke knew that they were years he had wasted.

I've waited years to kill you Itachi, if I have to wait a bit longer, I will.

XXXXX

Itachi was uneasy at the fact that he had not encountered any Sound-nin. It seemed strange that there were only those fifty or so shinobi at Orochimaru's entire base…

Itachi could still feel Sakura's chakra flaring, a sign that she was still engaged in battle. But her chakra had not yet moved. What was she doing?

XXXXX

Kabuto turned around quickly, thinking he heard footsteps coming down the hall. Straining his ears, he realized that the footsteps were measured and confident.

"Bitch." He snarled as he turned around, revealing a shocked Sakura. "You brought your boyfriend with you?"

She knew that he was trying to get a rise out of her, but she didn't respond, knowing his anger was directed at the fact that he didn't stand a chance against Itachi. Cursing silently, Kabuto wasted no time in charging her. Her eyes widened as she dodged his attacks. She could see that he was incredibly pissed—was he really that scared of Itachi? No, it wasn't necessarily him; it was that Kabuto was scared of death. He was attacking her so quickly that she didn't have time to go on the offensive. She would just have to wait until he tired out. Tsunade always told her that men were impatient…

But when Itachi appeared behind Kabuto and her eyes traveled to him, she realized her reaction time was too slow as Kabuto's scalpel met her chest.

XXXXX

The time it took for Sakura's body to hit the floor seemed like the longest moments in Itachi's life. He couldn't remember a time when he felt so—afraid wasn't the word—terrified in his life. But when her body turned into a kunai, the fear was replaced with anger. Anger at her for coming here, anger at Sasuke for whatever connection he had with her, anger at Kabuto for hurting 'her', but he was mostly angry at her for scaring him like that. And he was partly angry at himself for allowing himself to care about the aforementioned things.

Itachi could feel that Kabuto was just as shocked as he was that her body was a replacement. There was a moment's pause when Kabuto seemed to be deciding his next course of action. Itachi knew that the bastard feared for his life—cowardly in Itachi's opinion—but Kabuto also needed to buy time for Orochimaru to get away. Would he be loyal to his master?

It appeared not, as Kabuto body disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

Coward.

XXXXX

Sakura didn't know how much time she would have before Kabuto realized that was a clone. Sprinting down the hallway, she followed Sasuke's chakra, which she now felt was rapidly dwindling.

No!

XXXXX

Sasuke stood before Orochimaru, and before Sasuke could blink, Orochimaru's body split into thousands of tiny white snakes.

Shit.

Not knowing if it would work, Sasuke engulfed his entire body in his Chidori current, hoping to electrocute any snake that tried to kill him. And for a while it seemed to work, as the sounds and smells of decaying flesh met his senses.

When it seemed like all the snakes were dead, Sasuke let his body relax.

But it was one second too soon.

Glancing down at the sword that was stuck trough his chest, Sasuke felt Orochimaru's body press into his back.

"The one thing you never seemed to learn Sasuke-kun," he rasped, obviously struggling for breath, "was to always watch your back."

"Hn." His teeth clenched from the pain.

"Even your Sharingan cannot see 360 degrees."

"There was always one thing you never seemed to learned, Orochimaru."

"Oh?" His tongue flickered out to slide over Sasuke's cursed seal. Sasuke refrained from recoiling in disgust.

"My brother is not as easily as manipulated as I."

Sasuke turned to look his once-teacher in the eye.

"Your plans never would have succeeded." Sasuke whispered, wishing the pain in his heart would recede.

Orochimaru's eyes widened considerably, but he did not say anything.

Orochimaru's sword turned into a snake, and Sasuke had to bite his tongue to keep from screaming in pain when the snake slithered into his body, and started moving around.

Sasuke's harsh pants of breath were momentarily drowned out by the sound of Orochimaru's body hitting the floor. Stumbling out of the blood-filled room, Sasuke tried to follow Sakura's chakra. He could tell that she was running, and she would find him in a few minutes. He knew that this was the end: he would fail to kill his brother.

But there were still so many things he needed to say…

XXXXX

He was lying there on the brown stone floor, staring at the ceiling, in a pool of his blood. She resisted the urge to vomit, swallowing hard and trying to concentrate on the task at hand.

She needed to save him.

"Oh my God," she breathed, on the verge of tears, "Sasuke." Running towards him, her chest was tightening—it was the dread. He was going to die. Falling to her knees in front of him, her hands immediately went to work, trying to assess the damage.

Tears amassed in her eyes when she realized she couldn't save him. There had to be something—something that could bring him back.

"Sakura." He let out a breath of recognition and she realized that he was relived to see her.

Her heart twisted painfully—there was so much blood.

"Shh, Sasuke, don't—" Don't what exactly she didn't know. Don't speak? Don't say goodbye? Don't die?

Ignoring the sound of teardrops on the cold floor, she was pushing so much chakra into him, that unconsciously or not, she was giving him some of her life force. No matter how many weeks she spent crying over him, cursing his attitude to the depths of hell, or how long she worried about him or wished he'd come back…she couldn't see him like this.

A cold hand grabbed hers.

"Stop."

XXXXX

Miles away, in a dark room, a woman with blue hair wearing an Akatsuki robe looked up at her orange-haired lover.

"What are you going to do?" She asked him quietly, her soft voice carrying through the darkness.

"Kill her." He said flatly, not looking up, returning to thumbing through the file that was resting on his desk.

He seemed calm, but Konan could clearly feel the fury in his chakra.

"I see," she said, not moving from her standing position. "Do you think it would be wise to perhaps keep her around for a while to see what exactly her mission is?"

"I already know what her mission is." He deadpanned.

"Oh?" She raised a brow, waiting.

Pein did not elaborate.

"No one double-crosses Akatsuki and lives to tell the tale." He spat, and she almost felt sorry for the girl—a girl she could actually tolerate.

Konan suddenly didn't like the malevolent glint in his eye.

"And I have already thought of the perfect punishment."

She couldn't ignore the way the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.

"We are going to invade Konoha." There was a note of triumph in his voice.

Konan's eyes widened.

"But we are only nine people, Pein! We cannot stand up to an entire village!" She knew that when he got angry, there was no telling what he would do. She was angry as well, but there was little point in this suicide mission.

Pein did not answer, a crazy grin breaking across his face.

"Then, I am going to make her watch her best friend be tortured to death."

OOOOO

There you have it! I had fun writing this. There were many clues in this chapter; I hope you caught some!

Reviews make me write faster! …No seriously, they do.

Until next time!

P.S. If you have the time, I would appreciate your feedback on my one-shot, Congratulations. It's basically Kakashi reflecting about his time in ANBU, and how it's time for the next generation. Thanks!